Dr. Diana L. Ahmad, Curators' Distinguished Teaching Professor of history and political science at Missouri University of Science and Technology, is available to discuss the history and strategic importance of Guam, the tiny U.S. territory in the South Pacific threatened by North Korea.
"Your average, run-of-the-mill American has never heard of Guam," says Ahmad. "But it is our toehold in Asia and is very important strategically to U.S. interests."
Guam has been a U.S. territory since 1898, when the U.S. captured the island during the Spanish-American War. "The U.S. Navy sailed into the harbor, took a few shots because they saw two forts, and then they saw some Spanish officials and Guamanian people on the beach. It turned out those officers didn't even know the U.S. and Spain were at war," Ahmad says.
An expert in the history of the American West and the American Pacific, Ahmad's current research examines America's westward expansion into the Pacific Ocean, including Hawaii and the territories of Guam and American Samoa.
For more information on Ahmad, see http://history.mst.edu/facultystaffandfacilities/ahmad/.
To arrange for an interview with Ahmad, contact Andrew Careaga at 573-578-4420 or email [email protected].
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